The Pope Encyclopedia: An A to Z of the Holy See [Paperback]

Matthew Bunson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 1995

Containing more than 2,000 entries in handy alphabetical format, this provocative, illustrated book explores the whole lively and entertaining history of the Vatican and its rulers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author of The Vampire Encyclopedia (Crown, 1993) covers the papacy in more than 2000 alphabetized entries, from "Academy of Sciences, Pontifical," to "Zuchetto." Special topics such as assassinated pontiffs and papal quotations are given full-page treatment, and the text is supplemented by black-and-white photographs and appendixes consisting of a chronological list of popes, the role of the Roman Curia, and descriptions of Vatican museums. Some entries read as if they were lifted from the Oxford Dictionary of Popes (LJ 9/15/86), while others are laced with inane comments, e.g., Gregory XIV brought "relief to the Romans from the chronic outbreaks of unrest, famine, and plague. He also passed a decree forbidding all betting on papal elections." There are factual inconsistencies; spelling and grammatical and logical errors; arbitrary entries ("Christmas" but not "Simony," "Great Western Schism" listed as "Schism, Great Western" leads to "Western Schism, Great," which merely cites nine other entries). A good Catholic almanac and a papal dictionary are preferred as sources of accurate information. Not recommended.?Nancy M. Laskowski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Containing more than 2,000 entries in handy alphabetical format, this provocative, illustrated book explores the whole lively and entertaining history of the Vatican and its rulers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1st edition (September 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517882566
• ISBN-13: 978-0517882566
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,263,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Encyclopedias > Religion

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the true info-junkie..., December 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pope Encyclopedia: An A to Z of the Holy See (Paperback)

I read this book cover-to-cover as soon as I bought it. I love things that are organized and encyclopedic, and though I'm not Catholic, I love this book. I frequently look up information in it, it contains not just information on Popes, but many Vatican buldings, departments, and artwork. This would be invaluable to anyone taking a trip to the Vatican. I have also read Bunson's Encyclopedia Sherlockiana and found it to be equally detailed and informative. I heartily recommend these two books to anyone who is even remotely interested in either subject. After you're through, you'll be more than remotely interested, you'll be hooked.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL REFERENCE PIECE, October 21, 2006

By 

Severin Olson (Hyattsville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pope Encyclopedia: An A to Z of the Holy See (Paperback)

Like the last reviewer, I am not Catholic either, but found this book an excellent resource on the papacy and the Vatican. Much of Western and European history has been influenced by the Roman church so it is wise to know what the popes have done and how the Vatican operates. The book's format is most helpful, including the popes and other features of importance in Rome and elsewhere. After each entry on a pope, his successor is listed. All in all a wonderful reference piece.